sales tax
From press release of Carla Howell's Center For Small Government
Today, at 10:30am at the Elections Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Carla Howell and several volunteers filed the last batches of validated signatures for this petition drive.
"We filed a bullet-proof, challenge-proof number of signatures for our ballot initiative to roll back the sales tax from 6.25% to 3%," said Carla Howell.
"We needed 66,593 validated signatures to qualify. Today, we turned in the last of over 75,978 validated signatures - 9,385 more signatures than the law requires."
More at... well, I would have thought it might be HERE, but the press release hasn't made it to the website yet. Anyway, I'm sure opinions abound, so have fun!
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
That's the explanation being given by state Rep. Michael Rodrigues, whose car - emblazoned with his House of Representatives plates - a Herald reader photographed at a New Hamphsire state liquor store. Where, of course, they don't charge sales taxes, such as the ones Rodrigues voted to increase.
The tax on meals, already set to increase to 6.25% next month, will go up to 7% Oct. 1 under a plan released today by Mayor Menino to combat a drop in state aid. Read more
House passes sales-tax increase by veto-proof margin.
Mike Ball asks that you call your legislators and tell them that's meaningless without reform: Don't let those clowns think they've done enough!
The Outraged Liberal says Patrick could win the war for losing this battle: Patrick either ultimately gets the reforms he wants from the legislature or he has a ready-made issue to use against Republican Christy Mihos next year:
... Higher turnpike polls become lawmakers' problems and they will have hell to pay for the next round of MBTA service cuts and fare hikes. Not to mention they will own the crumbling roads and bridges.
Patrick's popularity numbers may be in the tank, but no politician has ever gone wrong running against the legislature or Congress. The beleaguered Patrick has put an important downpayment on his campaign by taking a stand here. ...
Blue Mass. Group has the roll call vote.
And nobody knows that more than people in the news business, who cannot do math to save their lives (raises hand). So, it's probably not surprising we're now seeing stuff like this AP headline: MA House to debate 1.25 percent sales tax hike.
No, guys, they're not debating a 1.25% sales tax hike. They're debating a 25% sales tax hike. Go divide 1.25 by 5 and tell us what you get for an answer. Or go talk to one of your Wall Street reporters about percentage points (or "basis points" or whatever they call them).
By 25%, why not extend it to professional and telecommunications services - and gasoline - the Outraged Liberal wonders.
The Outraged Liberal analyzes the apparent consensus in the legislature to raise just the sales tax, and that by 20%, even though that would hit the poor harder than people at the upper ends of the income spectrum.
Hot off the newswires:
I just called my state senator's office to see if there was any news on the issue of a tax-free weekend in Massachusetts this year, an issue that was reported on last week and seemed to gain steam for all of about five minutes. I figured it couldn't hurt to register my support for doing it again after several successful years, especially since I'm shopping for new living room furniture. ;-P Well, Senator Petrucelli's office informed me that the vote passed (today, I think) and Massachusetts will waive sales tax on purchases of most items under $2,500 on August 11 & 12.
I don't see it mentioned online anywhere yet. Anyone else have confirmation?
Carpundit reports getting a break on a $6,000 table yesterday because the store didn't charge him sales tax - even though the upper limit was supposed to be $2,500:
... Oh well, that's their problem. So I guess we saved about $325, give or take.
Ed. note: Even I went on a shopping frenzy. In Best Buy to pick up some paper CD sleeves (yes, I lead a truly exciting life), I saw a DVD of "Spaceballs" on sale for $9.99. Whoa, how could I resist its siren call with that mighty 50-cent sales-tax saving? And never mind my wife saying "But you've already seen that!" But the best break of the day came at BBQ Town in Roslindale where, after the help gave our takeout order away to somebody else, the owner gave me a $10 bill - about a 33% break (and then yelled heartily at the kitchen crew in some foreign language). It almost makes me wish I could recommend the place for its ribs, but I can't, because there was almost no meat on them (the chicken, however, was very good).
Earlier:
Take THAT, Kerry Healy
No discount for observant Jews
Jonelle totals up her household's savings during Tax-Free Weekend - comes to $18.40 (which includes savings on a new camera and "enough cleaning supplies and household paper goods to last us through the Bush administration"):
Well, at least it's $18.40 that won't go towards furnishing Kerry Healey's office.
Last year's tax-free day fell on a Saturday, which meant observant Jews couldn't take advantage of it. This year, the state extended the no-sales-tax zone to Sunday. And religious Jews still can't take advantage of it because, as David notes, today is Tisha B'Av, a solemn holiday for remembering the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem - a day on which many activities, including touching money, are forbidden:
... You spend the day in shul studying Torah, so until the mall opens up a Study, Daven 'n' Beyond store, there's not going to be a lot of temptation to shop anyway. ...
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